A barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based semiconductor ceramic generates heat upon the application of a voltage and has PTC characteristics in which the resistance value rapidly increases when the temperature exceeds the Curie temperature Tc at which phase transition takes place from a tetragonal crystal to a cubic crystal.
In such a semiconductor ceramic having PTC characteristics, the resistance value increases when the temperature exceeds the Curie temperature Tc because of the generation of heat caused by the application of a voltage. As a result, current does not easily flow and the temperature is decreased. When the temperature is decreased and thus the resistance value is decreased, current flows easily again and the temperature becomes increased. In such a semiconductor ceramic, by repeating the above-described process, the temperature or current is caused to converge to a certain temperature or current. Therefore, such a semiconductor ceramic is widely used as a thermistor for a heater or a motor starting device.
Since a PTC thermistor used for a heater or the like is used at high temperature, the Curie temperature Tc is required to be high. The Curie temperature Tc has been conventionally increased by replacing part of Ba of BaTiO3 with Pb.
However, Pb is an environmentally unfriendly substance and thus, in consideration of environment, the development of a lead-free semiconductor ceramic that substantially does not contain Pb has been demanded.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a BaTiO3-based semiconductor ceramic, the method including adding at least one of Nb, Ta, and a rare-earth element to Ba1-2X(BiNa)XTiO3 (where 0<x≦0.15) obtained by replacing part of Ba of BaTiO3 with Bi—Na, sintering the structure in a nitrogen atmosphere, and performing a heat treatment in an oxidizing atmosphere.
In Patent Document 1, there is provided a lead-free BaTiO3-based semiconductor ceramic having a high Curie temperature Tc of 140 to 255° C. and a temperature coefficient of resistance of 16 to 20%/° C.
Patent Document 2 discloses a semiconductor ceramic composition whose composition formula is represented by [(A10.5A20.5)x(Ba1-yQy)1-x]TiO3 (where A1 is at least one of Na, K, and Li, A2 is Bi, and Q is at least one of La, Dy, Eu, and Gd), wherein the x and y satisfy 0<x≦0.2 and 0.002≦y≦0.01.
Patent Document 2 provides a lead-free semiconductor ceramic composition having a Curie temperature Tc of 130° C. or more.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 56-169301    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-255493